This invention relates to the field of waste disposal and, more specifically, to an apparatus (comprising a frame and a bag) and to a preferred bag for packaging waste for disposal.
Under the so-called "pooper scooper" laws, those responsible for a dog (usually, the owner) must promptly remove any solid or semi-solid waste material left by the dog on sidewalks, etc. Thus, a person wishing to obey such a law has the problems of removing the offending material and then of its disposal.
There have been various attempts to deal with those problems. For example, those who can reason with their dogs often ask the dogs to consider using a circumscribed area on the ground upon which a substrate such as newspaper has been placed. If there are no mishaps, the newspaper may be folded to wrap the waste and the entire package thereafter disposed of. Those who cannot reason with their dogs as to the location but have quick reflexes sometimes attempt to place the substrate/wrapping material into position on the ground before the waste hits the ground.
For those with slower reflexes who still wish to comply with the law, a shovel may be employed to remove the waste material from the ground after the fact. The waste can then be put into a bag or placed on a substrate for wrapping and disposal. Some individuals have been known to place one of their hands inside a bag made of flexible material as if it were a glove, pick up the waste material using the "gloved" hand, and pull the end of the bag off the hand in a manner so as to invert the bag and package the waste material inside the bag for later disposal.
One device that has been used for attempting to scoop up waste after it is on the ground consists of a framework having a rectangular opening at its front end and a bag that is attached to the framework with the opening of the bag congruent with the rectangular front opening of the framework. The framework with the bag attached is placed on the ground with one side of the rectangular opening touching the ground. The device is pushed forward towards the waste material on the ground to scoop up the waste and have it pass through the rectangular opening into the rest of the attached bag. The bag is removed from the framework for disposal.
Each of those methods and devices has drawbacks. One problem with the apparatus just described is that the opening of the bag and the frame become contaminated with waste material. That is because the opening of the bag is at the leading edge of the framework and contacts the waste on the ground during the scooping maneuver. This makes closing the bag and disposal somewhat tricky. Other drawbacks of the various apparatus and methods used are obvious. Shovels become contaminated; the "gloved hand" method is aesthetically unpleasing, not to mention the problems encountered if the "glove" (i.e., bag) breaks at an inopportune moment.